Chapter 53: 8.8! Three Skills at 99%!
At the school's award ceremony, Li Yuan received the title of "Young Hero." His fame spread not only throughout the school, overshadowing Lin Lanyue, but also made him an idol for many younger students. Through various news media reports, he gained some recognition online, although it was limited to Jiang City.
On the morning of January 8th, shortly after ten o'clock, in the cultural classroom of Class 2, Grade 12, it was break time.
"Brother Yuan, you've really become famous this time," Zhou Qi exclaimed excitedly as he browsed the internet. "Look, your blog account has been found, and your followers increased by more than a thousand overnight."
Many classmates curiously glanced at Zhou Qi's screen.
"Most of the followers are just curious onlookers, mainly from our school. With so much news these days, the attention will fade in a couple of days," Li Yuan said with a chuckle. "Do you really believe it?"
"When I walk out of school, even the noodle shop owner at the gate probably won't recognize me," Li Yuan added with a smile.
"True enough," Zhou Qi laughed, scratching his head as he turned off his smart wristband.
"Brother Yuan, did you see the report on Lake Lop?" Yan Zhou, who was sitting in the back row, asked. "I remember you said your uncle went to work there."
"I saw it," Li Yuan's smile faded a bit. "The battle there is very intense. It seems it hasn't completely subsided yet."
Ten days ago, two days after Jiang City was attacked by astral creatures and before the preliminary exam in early January, a massive battle erupted once again in the secondary astral realm of Lake Lop.
To this day, it remains the top news story in both China and the entire Blue Star. Li Yuan had been following the news closely, sending messages to his uncle Li Changzhou almost every day. Li Changzhou would occasionally reply, reassuring him.
"Yesterday, I saw a news report that said nearly ten thousand people have died in the battle since September," Li Tianyou sighed. "The casualties are really severe."
The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became heavy. In this age of advanced internet, even high school seniors facing the college entrance exams paid attention to national and global news, contemplating their future choices. After all, the destiny of high school seniors was closely linked to the fate of their nation and human civilization as a whole.
"Don't worry," Li Yuan suddenly smiled. "We've held our ground in many battles before, and we'll do it again this time."
The class bell rang, and the students returned to their seats, ending the discussion.
"Lake Lop," Li Yuan muttered to himself, looking out the window. His thoughts began to drift. The Northern Frontier Province, nearly ten thousand kilometers from Jiangbei Province. While Jiang City remained peaceful, the front lines of Luo Bu Sea were engulfed in flames of war...
Life for Li Yuan returned to its usual calm routine. He maintained a daily schedule of school, home, and training at the Starlight Martial Hall's Guanshan branch. Aside from cultural studies in the morning, he diligently practiced foundational martial arts and spear techniques. He continuously bought and used basic blood tonic and source power pills according to his physical condition.
The daily repetition was monotonous and his bank and martial hall accounts were quickly drained of money and points. Yet, Li Yuan's strength steadily improved. Martial cultivation required hard work and there were no shortcuts. The moments of glory often required ten years of effort and sweat to achieve.
Time flew by, and soon it was February 10th, 2043, the most important traditional festival in China, the Spring Festival. Celebrations were held across the country and even globally. Schools were closed for ten days, even for the seniors.
At home in Wanhua Platinum Residence, his aunt Chen Hui sat at the main seat, with an empty chair beside her. On the table, a smart wristband projected a holographic image.
"Changzhou, Happy New Year," Chen Hui greeted her husband in the projection.
"Happy New Year, dear," Li Changzhou responded with a smile, holding up a glass of water. His face had darkened considerably. "Little Yuan, Qianqian , Muhua, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Uncle and Aunt," Li Yuan replied, raising his glass.
"Happy New Year, Dad, Mom, and Brother," said Li Qianqian and Li Muhua.
Although Li Changzhou was far away, he joined his family via video projection to celebrate the New Year together.
After dinner, Li Qianqian and Li Muhua cleaned up, while Li Yuan went to his room to train before the Spring Festival Gala started.
On the sofa, Chen Hui sat with her smart wristband, talking to her husband in the projection.
"Changzhou, when will you be able to come home? You said you would be back in January," Chen Hui asked with concern.
"It'll probably be another two months," Li Changzhou replied. "Things have been very tense lately. The team that was supposed to replace us is now at Lop Lake, working day and night alongside us."
"Hopefully, the next batch will come soon," he added.
"Alright, just be safe," Chen Hui nodded reluctantly.
"Don't worry. After the big battle half a month ago, our forces have been advancing. It was dangerous last month, but this month we've been pushing forward," Li Changzhou reassured her. "My current position is on the edge of the astral realm, but we're working in a large fortress behind the front lines, so it's relatively safe."
"Good," Chen Hui nodded.
If she didn't know her husband was in a relatively safer position compared to last month, she would have been even more worried.
"Try not to tell them too much detail, especially Little Yuan. The college entrance exams are coming up," Li Changzhou whispered.
"I understand," Chen Hui nodded.
Regarding his uncle Li Changzhou's situation, Li Yuan knew very little. It wasn't that he didn't care, but Li Changzhou rarely shared the true situation, making Li Yuan mistakenly believe his uncle's work was still far from the astral realm.
After the Spring Festival, the pace of life for seniors became more intense. Every classroom, whether for cultural or martial arts classes, displayed a "100-day countdown" to the college entrance exams. As the exam approached, Li Yuan's heart grew calmer. He had been training tirelessly, never slacking in physical training, spear practice, or cultural studies.
"The college entrance exam is just a result," Li Yuan thought. "The outcome depends not on how seriously you take the exam over those three days, but on whether you've worked hard enough every day and night for the past three, six, or even twelve years. If you've accumulated enough, success will come naturally. If not, no amount of anxiety will help."
"Brother Yuan, my physical fitness has reached 4.8," Zhou Qi announced excitedly after another class test. "High-level training methods are really amazing."
"Impressive! But don't slack off. Your previous physical fitness was not high. Now that you've awakened high-level training methods, you need to catch up," Li Yuan advised with a smile. "Aim to improve as much as you can before the exams."
"My goal is to reach 5.2 before the exams, to meet the class average," Zhou Qi said confidently.
This was the power of high-level training methods, absorbing source energy from the universe, equivalent to taking supplements every day. Zhou Qi's physical fitness, initially the lowest in the class, had risen to mid-level in just over two months. Given another year, his physical fitness level could easily reach the top ten in the class.
On March 8th, 2043, in the school's martial arts room 4011, Instructor Xu Bo spoke to Li Yuan.
"Li Yuan, after half a year of training, your spear techniques, body movements, and boxing skills have all reached the third stage of perfection without any substantial flaws," Xu Bo said. "Starting next week, you no longer need to come to me for guidance."
"No need to come?" Li Yuan was slightly taken aback.
"I've taught you everything I can. From the third to the fourth stage, you need to find your own path," Xu Bo said, looking at Li Yuan with a smile. "I'll leave you with one final piece of advice: First the body, then the mind, and finally the weapon. Achieve unity from within."
"First the body, then the mind, and finally the weapon?" Li Yuan repeated, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Teacher, for all your guidance."
What started as a typical teacher-student relationship had grown over time. Xu Bo's meticulous guidance and full-hearted teaching had fostered a bond beyond the usual student-teacher relationship, akin to the ancient master-disciple connection in martial arts.
"Thank you, Teacher," Li Yuan said sincerely.
"Good, it's late. Go home and rest," Xu Bo said, helping Li Yuan up with a smile.
Xu Bo had taught many students over the years, but few had reached the level of connection he felt with Li Yuan.
Late at night, around two in the morning, Li Yuan woke from his mind training. A notification from his training interface caught his eye:
Your mental power has increased from 14.9 to 15.0.
"After days of arduous training and enduring the harsh mental discipline, my mental power has finally reached 15.0," Li Yuan thought, feeling a sense of joy. Reaching 10 and 15 were significant milestones in martial arts, and Li Yuan felt that 15 was also a critical threshold for mental power.
"With just one week left until the invitation from Jiangbei Martial Arts University," Li Yuan glanced at his training interface:
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Life Level: 8.8 (Unranked)
Physical Fitness Index: 91 (Measured in various aspects such as explosiveness, endurance, speed, physique, mental power, etc.)
Punching Force: 988 kg
Speed: 19.6 m/s
Mental Power: 15.0
Spiritual Awakening Level: 0.6% (Current limit 20%)
Physical Training Method: "Rock Training Method"
Mental Training Method: "Observing the Great Sun Starry Sky Scripture"
Skill Proficiency: Spear Techniques (Third Stage 99%), Body Movement (Third Stage 99%), Boxing Techniques (Third Stage 99%)
Note: Upon reaching 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 125% in spiritual awakening, you will progressively receive spiritual guidance.
_____
"Let's try the Meteor Rank promotion match today," Li Yuan thought as he got into the virtual network pod.